Clark Honors College Student Works

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Meat and Diary Dominance: How Protein Became Synonymous and How Vegetarians Challenged This Narrative
(2023-02-05) Deivanayagam, Nithi
As scientists started to investigate how much protein is required to support body growth, people began to stress about their protein consumption around the beginning of the twentieth century. Meat and dairy products were seen as the best sources of protein as they got emphasized more and more as a crucial nutrient to include in a diet. Vegetarians questioned the reliance on animal-based protein sources by stressing the importance of a plant-based diet, which has the potential to provide all the essential nutrients along with protein to be healthy. They pushed back against the idea by raising awareness of the negative health consequences of overconsuming protein and following diets with animal-based products as the source of protein. Since meat and dairy products were available sources of protein at the time, as scientists continued to stress its importance in the diet, protein came to be synonymous with these foods. As excessive consumption of protein has been associated with health issues, vegetarians have fought back against this narrative by promoting plant-based diets as a better alternative.